Within Reach

Chapter 6: No Turning Back

By some act of divine mercy, Abe and Vesper hadn't gotten close enough to the second heeliopad to attract attention, so they walked to the airship in relative peace and complete silence.

Neither had exchanged a word since Abe's last comment and even with the distant sound of alarms and crackling of rocks it seemed painfully quiet. Abe stole a look at Vesper once or twice and noticed that distant look on his face. He assumed that it was fear and regret from everything that happened, and in his anxious and self-conscious mind he narrowed that straight down to Shrykull. That was the moment, to him, that the other became so quiet.

In reality, that was the last thing that Vesper was thinking about. More so he was just in shock. He had shot two Sligs and while he knew it was self-defense, it made him feel sick. That and the realization that he had gotten so close to dying repeatedly. Though instead of regretting coming, he just found himself wanting to get away from the city and the memories of what happened as fast as he possibly could.

This left the tone rather dire and the only thing that started to lighten it was when they came up on a familiar ledge. Abe sighed and gave a quiet, "Finally."

There, hidden under a cliff almost a quarter mile behind the heeliopad, was the airship. It was a simple cargo ship, smaller than anything usually seen in Nolybab and nothing fancy. It would've stuck out too much if noticed on the heeliopad, not that any of them had thought it would be a good idea to land their only means of escape less than five feet away from armed Sligs. Abe beckoned Vesper and showed him the way around and down the cliffside.

Once they arrived, Abe eagerly climbed aboard and opened the heavy, squeaking door. He held it open for Vesper who quickly slipped past before he shut it behind them and securing the equally heavy latch. Abe released a breath he felt like he had been holding for ages before turning around and facing Vesper. He found him standing there facing the opposite wall of the small passageway, head lowered and staring at the floor.

Abe knew he had to say something. He looked to the door to the cockpit, and it didn't sound like anyone was coming, so instead he tentatively stepped towards the Chiromor.

"Vesper…" he quietly began. He hesitantly reached out and laid a hand on his back. The other shivered at the touch, something that Abe couldn't read but didn't convince him to pull away. He struggled for words. "I'm… I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm shaken but I'm handling it," Vesper said. Though his voice sounded so worn out and listless that it was hard to believe.

"I should've… warned you better. I knew it was going to be bad, but I didn't think it was gonna go that bad. I'm sorry," Abe insisted. The other's ears twitched, picking up that defeated tone and starting to snap out of his daze. Abe continued, becoming more remorseful as he did, "If I just could've gotten back faster…"

"Don't start beating yourself up about this. I hate when you do that," Vesper said. He set down his suitcase with a sigh and turned around, with Abe pulling his hand back to rub his arm. "I knew what I was getting into when I left. I was just-…"

But the moment they made eye contact whatever he was going to say fell on the wayside. Whatever that resolve was that kept him standing crumbled, both from the exhaustion of what he had just been through and the look on the Mudokon's face. Looking so painfully guilty and caring so much about everything, like he always did. Instead of the flutters he had become familiar with, Vesper's chest ached with emptiness.

He took a shaky breath and exhaled in an almost exasperated fashion before stepping forward and suddenly pulling Abe into a tight embrace. It slightly surprised Abe, but he was receptive to it and eagerly clasped his arms around the other's back. This was all it took for Vesper to collapse the rest of the way, clinging to the Mudokon and burying his head into his shoulder. He was the one who needed it now, desperate for that reassurance that he made the right choice.

It didn't take more than a few seconds for Abe to figure that out. It felt like such a reversal to last night, but he accepted the role well, holding the other tightly as he realized how close he had gotten to losing him. But he didn't lose him, he reminded himself. He was okay; they were both okay. His heart thumped a little faster and his skin tingled just like it had last night before any of this.

"You're not… afraid of me… right?" Abe quietly asked. He nearly fumbled his words and subconsciously held a little tighter. "I can control it. It wasn't like last night; I knew what I was doing back at the tram."

"Abe, relax. I'm not afraid of you," Vesper said. This was assuring. "Terrified of everything else now, but you? Never." Much less assuring. Abe wasn't sure how to respond and eventually Vesper sighed. "Sorry about this. I'll let you go soon."

"Whenever. I'm good." Which was true for the most part, except that Abe suddenly realized that the airship still wasn't starting up and realized that Alf and Toby might've not heard him come in. Or if they did, were waiting for his go ahead to get going, probably thinking he was checking on the freed Mudokons back in the hold. He made a mental note to do that too, but not yet. Maybe he needed this too.

But it couldn't last. It was only a minute or two later when Vesper finally drew back and pulled himself together. He shirked off his duffle bag, setting it down beside his suitcase, and quickly fixed his vest and trench coat before slicking back his hair again.

"Alright," Vesper gestured to himself. "How do I look?"

Abe gave him a thumbs up.

"Great. Now let's go meet these friends of yours and see if they live up to my lofty expectations," he said with a toothy grin. It almost looked mischievous, though still tired. It still felt good to see it and Abe beckoned him to the cockpit door.

It was only when he went to open the door that Abe's nervousness returned. He had every right to be dreading this upcoming introduction too, because he knew that Alf wasn't going to take kindly to an industrialist stranger in their midst. Especially not when he realized that said industrialist was going to be sticking around for a while. He just hoped he could get a word in edgewise before Alf tried to physically throw Vesper out.

He rhythmically knocked on the door to signal it was him before pressing the button to open it and stepping inside. Only to be startled by Alf standing directly at his right with a raised metal pipe. He flinched back in alarm.

"Abe!" Alf shouted in surprise. He quickly lowered the pipe and set it down leaning against the wall. "Sorry about that. When you didn't come in, I started thinking somethin' else got in. Where've you been? Didja get lost finding the place?"

Alf seemed to be in a good mood, thankfully. Utterly relieved to see Abe get back in one piece. Toby, who was sitting in the little pilot seat, looked back over his shoulder, and waved. "Hey, Abe."

"Hey," Abe waved back, then awkwardly fidgeted with his bag straps. "Sorry it took me so long, but I did get lost. You wouldn't believe the size of this city! Like ten plants the size of RuptureFarms could've fit in it, and it would've smelled just as bad," he said dramatically. He was stalling, and about to lapse into a long explanation of everything he saw in Nolybab- except Vesper- when Vesper decided to step into the cockpit behind him. Alf's brows shot up instantly.

"-and at the bottom there was this giant pool of-."

"Whoa! Hold up!" Alf yelled. He grabbed Abe's arm and quickly yanked him away from the door before pointing at the intruder. "Who the heck's that?!"

"This is, uh, Vesper. He helped me get to the Vykkers and then back out of the city in one piece," Abe vaguely replied while rubbing his neck and walking on eggshells. He raised his hands defensively. "It's okay. He's here to help us out."

"Vesper Ryce, union representative." Vesper introduced himself in a businesslike tone and offered his hand to shake. Alf did not do so, instead deciding to stare in a mix of suspicion and disbelief. Toby was just looking startled by it all. Vesper drew his arm back and behind his back as he continued, "I know I might look the part of a wealthy financialist, but I assure you I am fully committed to helping your cause… And Abe, of course."

Vesper shot one of those confident grins at Abe and, despite the situation at hand, he found himself smiling back. Alf wasn't amused or satisfied by any of it.

"What even are you?" he asked bluntly, aggressively. Vesper was almost caught off guard by it, though mostly because Alf was looking at him like he was about to make a grab for the pipe. Before he could answer, Toby chimed in.

"He's an investor," he said simply.

Abe shook his head and denied, "No, he not a-."

"That's right!" Vesper nearly chirped. Caught by surprise at the agreement, Abe looked to him questioning and was returned a smile. "He means my species. You remember what I said about the colony, it makes sense that my whole species would be seen as one giant investment group. Former investor myself, but I digress." He looked to Toby with perked ears. "You've seen another of my kind?"

Toby nodded but didn't get a chance to elaborate as Alf suddenly caught up with himself. "Wait a minute, hold on here! Are you saying you brought some kind of fuzzy… Glukkon back with you and we're supposed to bring him with us?!"

"He's not a Glukkon. He's nothing like Molluck or any of them," Abe defended.

"Sure is dressed like one," Alf spat as he looked the Chiromor up and down.

Vesper was definitely starting to feel uncomfortable. Not afraid or anything like that, but he didn't like the way Alf was eyeing him. It didn't seem like his presence was helping much, so he cleared his throat and pointed back at the door.

"I think I'm going to step out and give you all a minute to work this out. I'll be out in the hall," he said. He exchanged a glance with Abe before heading back out into the passageway, shutting the door on his way out.

Alf immediately turned back to Abe. "Why would you bring that guy back here?!" he whispered, suspecting that the other would use his large ears to listen through the door. "You were supposed to find our mother and instead you brought back some kind of… Giant bat! And he's an industrialist, so he's probably the bloodsucking kind."

"Alf, calm down. It's not like that. I know it doesn't make much sense, but Vesper helped me out… A lot. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gotten back at all, and I might've not even found the Vykker's Pavilion," Abe explained. Alf crossed his arms almost defiantly. "In that tape about the brew, the Brewmaster said they were trying to keep us from reaching union representatives, so when I saw Vesper's sign saying he was one I went to see him. Turns out that these union representatives don't know anything about what's going on with us. The cartel's got his whole colony fooled into thinking we're really employees!"

"So what? What's he gonna do for us?"

"He's gonna come with us and help us any way he can," Abe gently explained. "…I couldn't leave him there. You don't know what it's like in there."

"Why would an industrialist care about our "cause"? All they care about is moolah! You don't know what he's planning. He could've used you to find us and there could be a whole fleet of Slig airships waiting for us to take off!" Alf exaggerated as he gestured to the windows. While Abe knew he had a point, he knew this wasn't the case. "When have any of those stuffed shirts cared about us?"

"He cares about me, I know that much," Abe said more firmly. His eyes lowered for what was coming. "Besides, if he was gonna turn on me, he would've done it last night… When I was asleep… In his apartment."

"…What?" Alf stared in growing horror. "You were- What were you thinking?!"

"Alf," Toby tried to interject.

"You fell asleep in front of him?! You could've been killed! You could've been dragged off to the gulags and beaten to a pulp- if they didn't just shoot ya first!"

"Alf."

"I know it was dangerous, but by then I knew I could trust Vesper."

"Because what?! Because he said he felt bad for us Muds?! What a load of-!"

"Guys."

"What?!" Alf snapped.

Toby almost flinched back at the look Alf sent him, raising his brows in a mix of startlement and questioning. He then timidly pointed out the window. "We should probably get going… Before it gets any brighter."

"Sounds great. I think that's a great idea. Toby, get this hunk of junk started up. Abe, go throw out that fuzzy blood bag. He's got moolah, he'll be fine sticking around."

"No, he won't. The Sligs saw him with me, they know we're together…" Abe took a deep breath and explained in a quieter voice, hoping Vesper wouldn't have to hear. "On the way here, I almost got cornered by a Slig and Vesper shot him."

"Big deal."

"It WAS a big deal to him! He's never done anything like that before. He got really upset," Abe said defensively. "But he still shot another Slig when we got cornered again. When has any Glukkon ever protected us, or me? And I was with him all night last night and all he did was… All he wanted was to know more about me, and not in a scheming way, in this sort of… Like with the others, how they're always praising me and stuff like that after I save them. I just didn't have to save him." He rubbed the back of his neck as he felt his face heat up, hoping it wasn't visible. "I like him, and he really likes me."

"…Boy, that just makes this whole thing a lot creepier," Alf muttered. Abe gave him an exasperated look and finally the other huffed an exhale. "You know I trust ya, Abe. If you really think this guy's gonna do something for us… Then okay, he can come- but I'm not gonna be the one stuck carrying his weight! And if he does turn on us-."

"I'll take the fall for it," Abe assured. Alf frowned, not happy with this wording. "But that's not going to happen."

There was an uncomfortable pause in the cockpit. Nobody wanted to make eye contact except Toby, who was looking back and forth between the two like he was still looking for confirmation to start the airship. Eventually Alf broke the silence.

"So… Didja find her?"

Of all the things he could've asked. Abe's disappointment was clear on his face. "No, but… I know where she is… We should get the Mudokons I freed to safety, then we'll figure out how to get to her," he said cryptically. He then turned headed to the door. Knowing he wasn't going to elaborate yet, Alf sighed and looked to Toby.

"Let's get this bird flying," he said. Clearly still not happy with this arrangement but trusting Abe enough to go along with it for a little while. It wasn't like he had a choice when the would-be leader of the operation had already made his decision.

Until he remembered something, and his head snapped back in Abe's direction. "Wait, Abe, when you said he "shot" a Slig, does that mean he's got a-?!" The door shut before he could finish. "Gun..." Alf huffed and wandered over to help Toby.

Abe leaned against the door and exhaled tiredly. He didn't like cutting him off like that, but he couldn't handle another explosion from Alf. One was bad enough. He looked ahead to see Vesper crouched down beside his luggage and going through his suitcase. Though the Chiromor had paused to look at the Mudokon with concern.

"What's the verdict? Am I staying on?" he asked.

"That's the plan. But you can still make a run for it if you want," Abe offered jokingly. Vesper returned his smile with an apologetic one.

"Sorry I wasn't more help in there. I probably could've pled my case better, then you wouldn't have had to."

"No, it's best like this. Alf wasn't going to listen to you. He barely listens to me," he said. He pulled himself off of the door and walked over to Vesper to look down at what he was doing, which was going through some of his packed foodstuff. Abe rested an assuring hand on his shoulder and didn't notice how the other paused. "I'm gonna go check on the others real quick, but I'll be back."

"Sure. Take your time," Vesper said. Abe dragged his hand along his back as he passed by, warmth spreading everywhere he touched, and then released him and headed to the other door. As he headed in, Vesper picked up a chorus of excited voices calling out "It's Abe" and "Abe's back!" before the door closed. He ran his hand over his shoulder with a twitch of his ears.

"I'm just a glutton for punishment," Vesper thought. Though that didn't stop the eager grin from spreading across his face. He was so in over his head that it hurt, and it was so much easier to not think about it because there was no going back.

So, he got out of dehydrated fruit bar, sat down in the passageway, and waited for Abe to return. All while listening to the excited Mudokons in the next room and reminding himself that he made the right choice.

Eventually Abe did return, coming out of the hold looking twice as exhausted than when he went in. By now the airship had begun to hum to life and as Abe was shirking off his bag it began to lift. He hastily dropped onto the floor beside Vesper, setting his bag on the other side of him and crossing his legs. This was the first time he had been able to stop and rest since he left early that morning and he could feel it in his muscles.

Something nudged him in the arm, and he looked down to see a wrapped bar. He took it a little hesitantly before looking over the label.

"Don't get nervous, it's just fruit," Vesper assured. He chuckled a little when Abe still turned it over to scan the ingredients. Once he was satisfied that there wasn't anything suspicious hidden inside, he started to tear open the packaging. Pausing when Vesper asked, "I can't believe I'm asking this now of all times, but where are we headed to?"

"I guess we're taking the Mudokons I freed back to the others until we figure out how to get into Vykker's Labs. They'll be safe with them."

"The others?"

"The other escapees."

"…Uh huh. So, you DO know where they are."

Abe didn't expect to get called out and looked over to see Vesper giving him a flat look. The Mudokon smiled a little apologetically and the Chiromor's mouth twitched in a smirk.

Feeling like he had been let off the hook, Abe finally tore open the bar and bit into it. It had a strange sort of texture to it, tough and chewy, but it tasted sweet. A more natural sort of sweet compared to most things coming out of a wrapper.

Vesper waited for him to get a few bites in before he dared to interrupt him. By then his smile was starting to fade and he dared to ask, "Do you always cut it that close?"

Abe knew he was talking about their escape. "Sometimes. Not always," he answered honestly.

They fell back into a silence as he kept chewing through the bar. Normally he would've felt bad taking Vesper's food when he knew it was limited, but now he had other things to worry about. Eventually a discontent frown settling on his lips, one he didn't realize he had until the other spoke up.

"What's on your mind?" Vesper asked. Abe considered if he really wanted to vent his feelings when he had just gone through some heavy stuff of his own, but then caved with a soft sigh.

"It's just… It was so hard getting in and out of Nolybab. How am I going to get in and out of some kind of giant airship WITHher? And what if they just move her again? It feels like I've done so much and then got nothing done…" Abe said quietly.

This was something that Vesper could easily understand. Here Abe was coming all this way to find him mother, someone he clearly wanted to find, only to be told after all of his hardship that it was all for naught. She wasn't here and where she was would be someplace even more difficult to reach. He hid it well, but he had to be more devastated than he let on.

"Sounds to me like you found quite a few Mudokons in the city. I would argue that was something," Vesper reminded. Abe shrugged and nodded, willing to admit that it was- almost reluctant to say out loud that this was typical out of fear that he would sound ungrateful. Vesper smiled a little again. "Found me too. Not saying I'm more important than the Mudokons, but it feels significant from my perspective."

"Yeah…" And that wasn't even taking into account their close calls. Abe was though, now thinking back to the moment he heard that gunshot and how relieved he still was that it hadn't been the worst-case scenario. He could've watched Vesper bleed out in that stairwell, knowing it was all his fault, but instead they were here, and they were okay. He scooted closer and leaned his head against Vesper's. "Glad I did."

The other tensed for a moment and Abe wondered if he had stepped out of line. "Is this okay…?"

"More than okay," Vesper quickly assured. Encouraged by the motion, he readjusted and put an arm around the other, pulling his trench coat around him as though trying to wrap him in it. There it was again, that enticing warmth. Abe eagerly pressed back into it as though absorbing it through his skin. He could hear a soft purring from deep in Vesper's chest; it was almost soothing when paired with the soft sway of the ship.

He had become familiar with the motion of the airship. He could tell when they were turning and the subtle differences when they were slightly rising or falling, something that used to make him a little dizzy but now he didn't bat an eye yet. He could feel that they were slightly listing as they turned away from Nolybab and knew when they were on the right course from how the ship settled, feeling like they weren't moving at all when they were smooth sailing.

It was once they settled into this course that he started to get an idea, but he waited a little longer before he went through with it, instead taking in what comfort he could while he could. Already knowing that doing this in front of the others was probably going to be out of the question. It would just have to be their secret, he supposed.

Finally deciding to go through with it, Abe pulled away and started to stand up, tossing the remaining half of the fruit bar onto his bag for later. "Come on, I want to show you something," he said, offering Vesper his hand.

Vesper looked curious and eagerly took his hand and pulled to his feet. He almost thought Abe was going to take him to meet the other Mudokons, but this wasn't the case.

Instead, he led him outside onto one of the narrow walkways on the outside of the airship. It led up right alongside the cockpit and was under the duress of a lot of wind and noise, but it was an impressive, if terrifying, view.

"You can't really see much of Nolybab from here," Abe called over the sound. "But you can see where we're going!"

Sort of. It looked like a continuation of dried out flatlands with the rocky ridge in the distance hiding a lush world behind it, eventually. The most impressive part of it was the distance. This bird's eye view would give them a wider look at the stretch of Oddworld than possible from any grounded structure. It was a marvel of natural beauty in contrast to the smoggy grim of the city.

Vesper had to admit that it was quite a view. He had gotten a similar one when travelling from Horromog to Mudos, but that was through blurry portholes. Now he had a completely unobstructed visual- save the wind and sun getting in his eyes but having to squint wasn't anything new. If anything, the harsh sunlight was easier on the eyes than the glare of the city's lights.

"It's incredible alright!" Vesper called back. Even with his eyes narrowed, Abe could still recognize the intrigue in his voice and smile. There was that excitement to see and learn about their world; Abe almost worried he lost it on the way here.

He noticed Vesper's gloved hand tightly gripping onto the railing to keep from getting blown off and once he looked back out to the view, he slid his own over to rest on top of it. Vesper glanced down at the scarred hand on his and smiled. He honestly had no idea where he was going to end up, but he would readily admit that he was willing to follow Abe anywhere he was going to go.

He didn't look back. Neither of them did.

Mable: Okay, so here's the dealio. Originally, this story was going to be continued in a sequel, but since it's not as easy to link sequels on Fanfiction, I'm going to just continue adding chapters onto this story. So, this isn't the end! Hope you enjoyed the first act in our unfolding story. ^_^ More coming soon!